Fluid meter construction



R. A. NORBOM FLUID METER CONSTRUCTION Filed May 1o, `194e;

Dec. 28, 1948.

w J w Patented Dec. 28, 19481 Ragnar. A.y lslorbonnl New York,.NiY.,assignor: to, llationalv Fitch Corporation, ai. corporation ol?-Delaware1 Application May 10, 1946, `Seliii'li'o;v 6685814"A llelaim.(01-735242).

This invention relates to iluidfmetersandmore k particularly to animproved iluidmeter constructionfor measuring the flow.` of milk orl thelike.

It is an object-oi this invention `toprovdeaan improved. liquid flowmeter for measuringt milk or the like as it is loaded-into.tanks;

It is another object of this; invention to provide av liquid ow meterwhich may be readily cleaned and/or sterilized;

It is another object ofthis inventionv to pro.- vid'e a liquid ow meterwhich. is. accurate: in measuring lfluids suchas milk.

It is another object of this invention toy pro.- vide a liquid ow meteroperable without'. the liquid being under pressure.

It is still another objectv of this invention` to provide a liquid flowmeter? inV whichi the liquids being measured need not be exposedytortheiat.- Biosphere.

It is a further object4 of. this invention to. proivide a liquid flowmeter of few pants which; may be easily disassembled for inspection and=washing.

Itis-a still further object of thi'sainventionto provide a liquid flowmeter which may beccanomically constructed and Whicnhasl a longrlife;

Other objectsand. advantagesvofthis invention Will be readily apparentfrom the'. followingA description of the preferred' embodimentillustrated in the accompanying drawings'int which:

Figure 1 is an elevation view,A partlycut away; of a fluid meter'constructed in accordancev with this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2`2 oi Figure l.

Referring to Figure 1', the casing' ofthe fluid meter is indicated bythenumerall` ThemasingIIl is supported from theV base ISI` byY means ofan integral boss I2 removably secured inthe colllar I3.by set screws M.AnV inlet opening I\..is provided at the top of the casing `II)` and' anoutlet or discharge connection I5 is provided. at the bottom of thecasing.. Thezinlet and outlet maybe providedwith quick pitch threads tofacilitate the application v.and removal of inlet and outlet pipe orhose connectors. The open face of the casingv III2 oppositethesupporting'- boss` I2 is closed by a removable plateHIfI-secured tothe casing by wingfnutsl 8201*.' thelilre; y

Within the casing I0 is a rotor 20 supported by a drive shaft 2|extending through the. boss I2. and by a-.stub shaft 22' projectingintoabe'aringy 23` in the cover plate IT.. Thedrive shaft. 2| is:providedwith a couplingmember 24. secured thereon by a pin or set screw`25 .-and.a..s`ealihg Washer 26;` maybeurged against the outer end ofthe.` boss:l I2` by a compression springf 2.1' between thefvn'isher2;6;and thefeoupling. member 24. The

rotordrivev connection is completedv by another couplingmember 28-engaging member 24 and secured. to theshaft of an electric motor 29(shown impart); the motor being supported by the base Hz.. A gear 30 isprovided on the shaft of motor 29; to; engage a pinion 3| of acountermecha nis-m 32; The' mechanism 32- may be calibrated in units of volume,such as gallons, and may besupported: byV the base II. The couplingmembers 24 and 2Ii` provide ailexible drive making` it unnecessary to:vsupport the lrotor drive shaft. 2| in exact alinement with the drivingshaft of motor 2%.

The rotor memberv 2-il is provided with one or more bores or-diametrical cylinderstWocyHnders 35;.and 3I being, illustrated' in `thepreferred constructione shown. The cylinders 35. and 3B have their axesatanangle @i909 to one another and are spaced onthe axis of therotor` 20so'that the cylinders..dol-not.intersect-.each other. The cylinders 35and. 36x extend completely through the rotor ivllfromgone sideto theotherxas shown inFigure 2;.` Each cylinder" is provided with a freepiston@ 314V arranged to slide back` and forth freely within thecylinder. The rotor4 20 is provided with @cylindrical ground outer-surface for engagement with a. ground surface sealing member 38` arthe like,is provided between the connection` I5,

thefmember' 3.3 and the top of the casing I0. The inlet connectionpassage may be flared at 40 to facilitate thev inflow ofV fluids to thecylinders 35.and-.36oi the rotor 21).` Bearing ribs 4I may be` providedon the` inner surface of the casing ||l-` to. slightly space; the rotor2i). therefrom.

Switch members .'I5. and. 46 are provided adjacent the under side of.thecasing I0 for actuation. Icy-push rods 4J and 4B- extending into thecasing III. through y packed openings 11!` and 5.0. Thenrods- 4l and- 48may beV provided with enlarged and rounded. head, 5I within the casingurged. inward by the` coil` spring 52.. The push rods 4]. andaengageswitch actuators 53 and 54 ofthe switches'45 and 4B, but. are notsecured theretdl inv orderV that. the. casing Iii including` vthepushrods .41 and 4S, may beeasily removed from the. switches and d6.for, cleaning. The. switches dandi 4E1larev connected n series. with. amanual out-oli switch .and'tliepower supply to motor 3 29, so that motor29 will not operate when either of the switches 45 and 46 is open.

The mode of operation of the uid meter described above will now bedescribed. The inlet I 5 being connected to a source of supply andoutlet I6 being connected to a storage tank or the like, the switch 55is closed after noting the reading of the counter 32 or after settingthe counter 32 at Zero. Fluid ilows into the cylinder 35 of the rotor 20until the free piston 31 is adjacent the outlet connection I6, as shownin Figure 2'. When the piston 31 reaches the position illustrated, itengages the head 5I of push rod 41 which latter engages the actuator 53to closethe switch 45. Switch 46 being already closed, the motor circuitis completed causing motor 29 to #cylinder is provided, there need beonly one conoperate. Operation of the motor 29 drives the rotor` throughthe coupling members 2'4 and 28 and the rotor drive shaft 2|, therebyturning the rotor through a counter-clockwise angle of 90. `When therotor 20 has turned 90, the motor circuit is opened by switch 46, thepush rod operator 48 of switch 46 being biased and moved to the upperposition since it is not engaged by the free piston in cylinder 36.Fluid then flows into and fills the cylinder 36 and the piston incylinder 36 moves to a position adjacent the outlet I6 in which itengages the push rod operator 48 of switch 46. vThe motor circuit isthus closed again causing motor 29 to rotate the rotor 20 throughanother 90 angle. When this rotation is completed, switch 45 isautomatically opened and the motor stops while the iiuid in cylinder 35below' the piston 31 iiows downward through the outlet I6. At the sametime, more fluid enters the cylinder 35 from inlet I5 filling the spaceabove the piston 31 as the latter moves downward. When the piston 31reaches a position adjacent the outlet I6, it again engages the head 5Iof push rod 41 to close the switch 45 and start another 90 rotation ofrotor 20. Both switches 45 and 46 remain closed while the rotor isdriven through its 90 movement since the push rod heads 5i are engagedby the circumferential surface of the rotor 20 between the open endedcylinders 35 and 36. It will be apparent that the automatic switches 45and 46 continue to cause successive 90 rotations of the rotor 20 as longas there is a continued supply of fluid entering through the inlet I5effective to move the free pistons 31 to the lower position, shown inFigure 2, to cause repeat actuation of the driving motor 29. The counter32 geared to the motor shaft through gears 3u and 3l may be calibratedin gallons or other suitable units for the liquid being metered and thusindicates the volume which ilows through the meter.

When it is desired to clean and/or sterlize the fluid meter, the inletand outlet connections are disconnected and the set screws I4 and 25 areloosened. The meter casing I0 may then be withdrawn from the supportingbushing I3 for disassembly. Removal of the closure plate I1 from thecasing l0 permits the rotor 20 to be with drawn from the casing, and thepistons 31 may then be removed from the cylinders 35 and 36. The sealingblock 38 may next be easily removed from the casing I0, and the interiorof the casing l0, the sealing block 38, the rotor 20, the lpistons 31and the interior of the closure plate I1 may be readily washed andsterilized. The meter is then reassembled in reverse order by insertionof the sealing block 38 in the casing l0, and insertion of the rotor 20in the casing after the pistons have been placedfin the respectivecylinders 35 trol switch and the circuit will be closed to turn therotor 180' on each actuation rather than 90. Where more than twocylinders are used, it will be necessary to have a control switch foreach cylinder and the amount of rotation of the rotor in degrees uponeach actuation will be 180 divided by the number of cylinders provided.It will also be apparent that the meter construction described may bearranged for intermittent rota tion of the metering rotor in either aclockwise or counter-clockwise direction.

It is to be understood that the fluid flow meter will operate to measurefluids ventering the inlet I5 under pressure the same as it does forfluids entering the inlet by gravity. The iiuids measured need not beexposed to the atmosphere and this feature is of importance in meteringfluids such as milk. The ease with which the meter construction may bedisassembled for cleaning and/or sterilizing is likewise important whereit is used in measuring milk and similar liquids. The constructiondescribed has been found particularly useful for measuring the quantityof milk supplied by dairy farmers to the milk collection trucks sent outby central dairies to collect milk from a number of farms. The scope ofthis invention is not limited to the exemplary structures illustratedand specifically described, but is intended to be limited only by thescope of the following claim.

I claim:

In a milk flow meter construction, the combination comprising a casinghaving an inlet connection on its upper side and an outlet connection onits lower side, an integral boss projecting laterally from saidl casingfor supporting said casing, a rotor supported for rotation within saidcasing on a shaft extending through said boss, said rotor having twocylinders extending therethrough, one cylinder being axially displacedalong the rotor axis and at right angles to the other cylinder, a freepiston for each of said cylinders and slidable therein, a pair of pushrods mounted on said casing adjacent said outlet connection andengageable by said pistons when the piston is at the lower end of itscylinder adjacent said outlet connection, a pair of circuit closersconnected in series and engaged by Isaid rods, and a motordriven meanscontrolled by vsaid circuit closers and connected to said rotor shaftfor rotatingsaid rotor each time one of said pistons engages one of saidpush rods.

RAGNAR A. NORBOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent: y

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 108,804 Massey Nov- 1, 1870540,257 Jones Jun-e 4, 1895 1,601,565 Dudler Sept. .28, 192.6, 1,872,103Bergmann Aug. 16, 1932 2,192,602 Meshberg Mar. 5, 1940

